5 ms·

I feel sorry for the elephant. I feel sorry for the author. I feel sorry for the victims. No winners, just losers. And in the between there is doing the expecte

by makach 5y ago

I feel sorry for the elephant. I feel sorry for the author. I feel sorry for the victims. No winners, just losers. And in the between there is doing the expected contradicting our own standards, not chosing to do right, nor do any wrong - but doing nothing and accepting the narrative before it has even played out.

orionblastar 5y ago
The elephant was sick with musk and trampled a native. The natives demanded the law/police kill the elephant. When he got to the elephant the musk was done and the elephant was well again. It is not about what is right or wrong, it is what the majority want. Right now in the USA we have cancel culture using social media to get people fired from their jobs for mistakes they make. Sort of like the natives that wanted the elephant killed. The majority rule in politics in the USA and determine who gets elected. The average person has an IQ of 100, and half are dumber than that. It is easier to fool them than it is to convince them that they have been fooled. Life is suffering according to Buddhism, we all suffer in some way shape or form.
oceanplexian 5y ago
Maybe I’m lacking empathy, but I don’t feel that sorry. It was an unfortunate situation, but so is it when a Ranger needs to shoot a wild bear that’s been going through trash cans. In fact, usually the villain in the story is the person leaving unsecured trash around where wild animals can get at it. Similarly, the (native) people were clearly in the wrong for chaining down and abusing a wild animal, something that could have been made worse by the British but was probably going on long before the British showed up. The narrator strikes me as someone who has confidence issues and then rationalizes it by blaming it on colonialism or social pressure or whatever. He made the decision to kill a living thing, particularly in a poor way that caused the animal to suffer. If he made a mistake the honorable way to handle it is to admit it and take complete responsibility, not come up with excuses that retroactively frame it as some sort of philosophical dilemma.
- orionblastar 5y ago
  Sometimes we have to share the blame. In India they used elephants as bulldozers and tanks. Really abuse the elephants. It is a part of their culture. Events out of their control let an elephant get sick and go on a rampage, trample some natives, and be shot to death as a result. Everyone was a little bit wrong and culture had a little bit to do with it. We have the same problem with racism in the USA, it was a part of US culture to use black people as slaves, something that is wrong now and considered evil. Police officers killing black men lead to black lives matter and riots in cities. This is wrong on so many levels, and a BLM org is needed to make sure it stops happening. Meanwhile the average white person isn't racist the KKK and Nazi white people are racist and evil. The problem is that many white people lack empathy for the killed black men, and just accept it as collateral damage. It is a teaching concept in that story, as well as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill A Mockingbird, 1984, etc. that get banned in schools because they offend people. The whole concept of the book is to offend so people will learn a lesion in why racism and tyranny are evil and we should not allow them to happen.

by makach 5y ago

orionblastar 5y ago

The elephant was sick with musk and trampled a native. The natives demanded the law/police kill the elephant. When he got to the elephant the musk was done and the elephant was well again. It is not about what is right or wrong, it is what the majority want. Right now in the USA we have cancel culture using social media to get people fired from their jobs for mistakes they make. Sort of like the natives that wanted the elephant killed. The majority rule in politics in the USA and determine who gets elected. The average person has an IQ of 100, and half are dumber than that. It is easier to fool them than it is to convince them that they have been fooled. Life is suffering according to Buddhism, we all suffer in some way shape or form.

oceanplexian 5y ago

Maybe I’m lacking empathy, but I don’t feel that sorry. It was an unfortunate situation, but so is it when a Ranger needs to shoot a wild bear that’s been going through trash cans. In fact, usually the villain in the story is the person leaving unsecured trash around where wild animals can get at it. Similarly, the (native) people were clearly in the wrong for chaining down and abusing a wild animal, something that could have been made worse by the British but was probably going on long before the British showed up. The narrator strikes me as someone who has confidence issues and then rationalizes it by blaming it on colonialism or social pressure or whatever. He made the decision to kill a living thing, particularly in a poor way that caused the animal to suffer. If he made a mistake the honorable way to handle it is to admit it and take complete responsibility, not come up with excuses that retroactively frame it as some sort of philosophical dilemma.

orionblastar 5y ago
Sometimes we have to share the blame. In India they used elephants as bulldozers and tanks. Really abuse the elephants. It is a part of their culture. Events out of their control let an elephant get sick and go on a rampage, trample some natives, and be shot to death as a result. Everyone was a little bit wrong and culture had a little bit to do with it. We have the same problem with racism in the USA, it was a part of US culture to use black people as slaves, something that is wrong now and considered evil. Police officers killing black men lead to black lives matter and riots in cities. This is wrong on so many levels, and a BLM org is needed to make sure it stops happening. Meanwhile the average white person isn't racist the KKK and Nazi white people are racist and evil. The problem is that many white people lack empathy for the killed black men, and just accept it as collateral damage. It is a teaching concept in that story, as well as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill A Mockingbird, 1984, etc. that get banned in schools because they offend people. The whole concept of the book is to offend so people will learn a lesion in why racism and tyranny are evil and we should not allow them to happen.